1. Field
At least one example embodiment relates to a walking assistance apparatus and/or an operation method of the walking assistance apparatus. For example, at least some example embodiments relate to a method and/or apparatus for controlling a gait assistance based on information associated with a joint angle of a user.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the onset of rapidly aging societies, many people may experience inconvenience and pain from joint problems, and interest in walking assistance apparatuses enabling the elderly or patients with joint problems to walk with less effort, may increase.
A walking assistance apparatus may assist a user to move a joint and a muscle, thereby enabling the user to walk or improving a gait of the user. Also, the walking assistance apparatus may perform a feed forward control based on information associated with a previous step of the user, thereby enhancing gait safety.
When the user suddenly stops walking, or reduces or increases speed while walking, the user may experience inconvenience due to the feed forward control performed by the walking assistance apparatus. Also, it may be difficult to naturally apply a radical change in a gait style of the user to the walking assistance apparatus using a limited type of sensor.